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Dining/Refreshment: Full service and counter service meals can be respectively enjoyed for lunch or dinner at the adjacent Yak and Yeti Restaurant and Yak and Yeti Local Food Cafes. The former establishment serves chicken wings, egg rolls, lo mein, ribs, and chicken and fish salads and entrees; while the latter eatery features teriyaki beef bowls, stir fries, chicken sandwiches and salads, and egg rolls. Guests craving a snack can choose among varies teas and pastries at Royal Anandapur Tea Company.

Restroom: Facilities convenient to Kali River Rapids are situated at the entrance to the adjacent Maharajah Jungle Trek attraction.

Fun Facts

Did you know?

Kali River Rapids was the first whitewater rapids attraction to appear in any Disney theme park. A second such attraction, “Grizzly River Run,” debuted with Disney’s California Adventure on February 8, 2001. Kali River Rapids is superior in thematic aspects; Grizzly River Run is more thrilling.

Kali River Rapids utilizes circular, spinning raft vehicles that seat up to twelve riders and contain a central storage space. The climactic plunge is thirty feet.

In 2012, Disney commenced a locker system for Kali River Rapids. Free storage is available in these lockers, located near the restrooms at the attraction’s entrance, for up to two hours.

Kali River Rapids sits in the fictional village of Anandapur on the fictional Chakranadi River.

On Kali River Rapids, guests double as patrons of Anandapur’s “Kali Rapids Expeditions,” a travel adventure company owned by Manisha Gurung, which takes tourists rafting on the Kali Rapids, the most intense section of the Chakranadi River.

Chakranadi is Sanskrit for “flowing in a circle.” Guests indeed flow in a circle on Kali River Rapids.

Kali is a Hindu goddess of the destructive forces of nature.

Kali River Rapids exudes environmental messages, specifically the harmful effects of the slash and burn deforestation methods used by the Tetak Logging Company. A related display, including a Tetak Company truck, is encountered on the rapids.

Prior to boarding the rafts, guests hear an announcement telling Manisha Gurung to halt rafting tours because the illegal logging operations have moved close to the river. Fortunately or otherwise, Gurung is on break, and the tours, including yours, proceed.

A variety of scents, including jasmine, ginger, and smoke, complement Kali River Rapids.

Representing the bulk of Anandapur, Kali River Rapids’ queue is arguably the most underrated queue in all of Walt Disney World. It is overshadowed by its great counterpart at the more popular Expedition Everest attraction, but it should not be missed.

Disney Imagineers conducted extensive research throughout Southeast Asia prior to Kali River Rapids’ debut, and more than 5,000 props purchased from local vendors are situated in the queue. Sights encountered in the queue include lush foliage, decaying relics and statues, the grand “Tiger Temple,” “Mr. Panika’s Shop,” a faux bird market, and the Kali Rapids Expedition Office.

A mass of bells and ribbons hanging outside the Tiger Temple represent, respectively, answered prayers and yet-to-be answered prayers. Animal carvings, religious artifacts, traditional costumes and masks, pictorial tales about the previous lives of the Buddha, and a grand tiger statue occupy the Temple’s interior. The room with the Buddha stories is termed the “Painted Pavilion.”

A faux hotel advertisement in the queue touts: “cheap prices, friendly staff, nice view, rooms with windows available, fans in most rooms, bathroom with running water on both floors, mattress and toilet paper just a little extra, and next to bird market.”

The Kali River Expedition Office includes a typewriter, a telephone, brochures, a raft position board, a portrait of the Royal Couple of Anandapur, a plethora of paddles signed by “rafting guides,” and a slide show starring Manisha Gurung. The portrait of the “Royal Couple” is found in various locations across the Animal Kingdom’s Asia section. One of the paddles was signed by the Imagineers who developed Kali River Rapids.

Kali River Rapids was originally envisioned as another whitewater rapids attraction to be called “Tiger Rapids Run” and feature real tigers along its perimeter. Due to the speed of the attraction obviating good views of the tigers and the likelihood of screams from the riders scaring the animals, Tiger Rapids Run was altered into the eventual product.

Top 5 Tips for Kali River Rapids

Prepare to be drenched, especially if you are facing backwards on the final plunge. Consider purchasing a poncho and wearing it on the ride.

Take in the details throughout the queue and the attraction proper.

With long wait times, Kali River Rapids is a good use of FastPass Plus, though you will bypass parts of the queue.

Consider wearing sandals on Kali River Rapids instead of sneakers such as to avoid blisters.

Consider storing loose objects and extra clothing in a locker while you ride Kali River Rapids.